2.*Acceptance: Sometimes our biggest struggles are internally generated. Often, it is not so much the situation itself that is so painful, but our fruitless attempts to change the un-changeable, or mental arguments about how things SHOULD be different, our endless efforts to figure out WHY things are the way they are? all of these are unnecessary add-ons to the difficulties that life presents us with. One of the major differences between people who live happy, meaningful lives and those who are bitter and unhappy is the capacity to accept setbacks and to make the best of difficult circumstances, instead of struggling against the things that cannot be changed.*
The ?Serenity Prayer? is a great tool for enhancing acceptance. When we find ourselves in some kind of mental turmoil, we can begin sorting it out by quietly repeating: ?Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.? Often, upon reflection, we will then realize that the turmoil arises out of trying to change something we cannot change.*
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